The Last Kings

by C. N. Phillips

  I’d forgotten the illusion that Jamaica had given me of Tyler, and it was false. It was true that he could be sweet, but that’s because we were on the same team. At heart, Tyler was a cold-blooded killer. It came with the job description. Mercy wasn’t even a word to him. It didn’t exist.

  “How is Marie by the way?” I asked, knowing he kept his little sister’s whereabouts low-key. I knew she had to be about eighteen now though.

  “Good,” Tyler smiled at the thought of his little sister. “A lot like you actually.”

  “That’s not a good thing,” I smiled.

  “Who says?” Tyler held my gaze deeply, and I had to avert his gaze.

  “Have you ever been in love, Tyler?” I asked the sand.

  “I’ve had my share of women, but, no, I can’t say I’ve ever loved one of’em. In the life I’m living, there honestly isn’t enough time for it.”

  I nodded at his answer, slightly relieved that no woman had ever captured his heart.

  “What about you?” he asked, catching me off guard.

  “Have I ever been in love?” I repeated the question and thought about the pain I’d suffered as a young teenager with my mother’s devil. “No, I’ve never let a man get that close to me. I’ve never even allowed myself to have a real boyfriend. Bosses don’t have time for pain.”

  I answered the question, trying not to think about my past trauma, but the sound of my own screams invaded my mind, and I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. I removed myself from the table and went to stand by the piano facing the water. Gasping for air, I tried to calm myself down. Through my long wet eyelashes I could barely see the moon reflecting off of the water. Tyler’s presence was soon felt behind me, and I tried to stop the tears that kept coming. Nobody but Mocha had ever seen me cry.

  “Sadie, what’s wrong, ma?” Tyler asked grabbing my shoulders and pulling me to him, but I couldn’t speak.

  That one question sent me diving deep into the memories I’d tried so hard to erase. All I could see was Nino’s face as he mounted me and took the only thing I’d ever had to offer. Nino was the reason I bled every time when I first started having sex on my own free will. Nino was the reason why I’d never trusted any man besides Ray. Nino was the reason why my feelings for Tyler were so jumbled. How could I love a man when I had no idea what love was? How could any man love a woman like me? I had too much baggage, and that was why whenever any relationship of mine seemed to be blooming, I did something on purpose to end it. Ending any connection between me and that person . . . It was the only thing I could control. That way, I didn’t feel the pain. But right there on that beach? I felt it. I felt it all.

  “Tyler, just let me go!” I yelled, trying to fight him off as a sea of emotions swarmed over me.

  But he didn’t. We fell into the sand, and he held me through every sob, stroking my hair and telling me it would be all right. Whatever it was, it would be all right. When I was finally done, I wiped my eyes and turned to face him.

  “I’m so sorry,” I told him, and he cupped my face in his hands. “I didn’t mean to ruin another dinner.”

  “It’s coo, ma.” Concern drenched his face. “What’s going on?”

  I studied him. A real nigga, a dying breed. In that split second, I knew I could trust him. I told him everything—about the rapes, how I was forced to hustle, and how I came to stay with Grandma Rae. He never once interrupted me. When I told him about the rapes, I’d never seen him look so mad before. The vein on his temple pulsated violently, and when I was done, I begged him not to tell Ray. I couldn’t bear the thought of Ray knowing about the skeletons in my closet. He promised me and held me again.

  “If that nigga wasn’t already dead, I’d send an army of niggas to blow every one of his fuckin’ limbs off, ma,” he said into my hair. “I swear on my life, no man will ever hurt you again. They’re going have to get through me first. You hear me?”

  He lifted my chin with his finger, and I looked deep into his eyes. I could see that not only did my story make him angry, but there was pain there too. He hurt because I hurt. Something deep inside me erupted, and I knew then, at that moment, that my feelings for that man weren’t faux. I nodded my head because I believed him with every fiber of my being.

  “I love you, Tyler,” I was able to breathe just before he kissed me.

  Chapter 20

  Devynn was livid as she waited a little after two o’clock for Tyler and Sadie to emerge from the large crowd of people exiting the airport. She leaned on her newly washed red Audi, barely able to keep her balance. Anger coursed through her, but the pain she felt almost knocked her off of her feet. Although in a pair of shorts and boyfriend T-shirt, she was still hot, and patience was running low. When she finally spotted their smiling faces, the look she wore instantly wiped their smiles from existence. There was a different glow on Sadie’s normally serious face, but she didn’t acknowledge it when they approached her. She had news to tell them that would ground them, but she knew that the airport was not the place to reveal such news. She also knew that Tyler had something like a temper, and all the people exiting the airport to meet loved ones one minute might be laid out on the ground dead the next.

  Tyler wasn’t a dumb nigga; he knew instantly something was up. There was a sadness so powerful in Devynn’s eyes he knew something horrible had happened. Devynn was the type of bitch that never showed emotion; she was taught to be hardened to the core.

  “Even in the worst pain of your life, never show a nigga that you feel anything,” was something she was known for saying.

  Tyler and Sadie exchanged glances, but Tyler waited until they pulled off from the airport to say anything.

  “What’s up?” he asked her looking at her from the passenger seat.

  Devynn took a breath before she spoke. “While you two have been enjoying ya’ fun in the sun and shit,” she started, her voice wavering slightly, “muhfuckas been here wilding off their asses. They hit Lace and the salon.”

  Sadie leaned toward the front from the backseat. Devynn recapped the story for the two of them since they were the only ones MIA. Sadie was hot. It read all over her face.

  “Why didn’t Ray call me?” she fumed. “I would have been here!”

  “Chill, Sadie,” Tyler tried to calm her. He studied the way Devynn gripped the steering wheel as she drove on the highway, and he knew there was more to the story that she hadn’t said yet. “What’s going on now, Dev? They get the people that did the shit, ’cause if not, on God, I’ma handle that.”

  Devynn shook her head and gripped the steering wheel even harder. They couldn’t see but tears were forming in her eyes.

  “Now . . .” she started but choked up, letting tears that had been nonexistent for five years roll down her face.

  “Talk, nigga!” Tyler barked at her.

  “Amann and D are dead!” Devynn yelled, pulling over on the highway. She got out and slammed her door. “Fuuuck!” she screamed at the onlooking cars and put her hands on her naturally curly Afro.

  A look of shock was frozen on both Tyler and Sadie’s faces, but soon Tyler’s brow furrowed, and rage in his whole body language was visible. His bros couldn’t be dead. Nah, not Amann and D. Those dudes were survivors, real soldiers. The Last Kings was created before them, but could never be the same after them. Never. He and Sadie both hopped out after Devynn and went to stand before her as she screamed. Tyler reached out and snatched the sunglasses off of her face before gripping her shoulders. He needed to see the lie in them, but when he didn’t, he let her go, rubbing his chin and shaking his head.

  “Nah.” He couldn’t believe it.

  They had all come from different backgrounds, but the operation had pulled them all close-knit together. They all had each other’s backs. Or that’s how it was supposed to be.

  “They’re dead,” Devynn said through clenched teeth. “As in hearts stopped. As in their bodies were found in D’s Corvette this morning. And, Ty, yo, their fucking heads
were strapped in car seats behind ’em! These niggas are fuckin’ sick, yo!”

  Sadie went to Devynn and held her as she sobbed. Just like Tyler had done her.

  “Whoever did it carved some shit on their chests. It said, ‘None of you or yours are safe.’ Amann saved my life, Say! If it wasn’t for that nigga, I’d be dead grass, and now look at him!” Devynn couldn’t control her rogue emotions.

  Tyler stood anguished, watching the women cling to each other. The Last Kings didn’t start shit with nobody; the money was the only motive. Tyler knew the game. The deaths of D and Amann meant that someone had just started a war, and so far, they were losing. Whoever had ordered the hits was like a phantom, or at least that’s what he got from Devynn’s story. He knew it was something to worry about if Ray had no clue who the fuck was behind the madness. What he did know, though, was that the message was loud and clear. The nigga was coming at their necks. Now that they knew to watch their backs, it would be hard to catch them slipping again. There was only one person on his mind, and although no one knew her whereabouts but him, he knew to never underestimate his enemy.

  “Get me to my car, Dev,” he ordered. “Get Say to Ray’s, and I’ma be there later. I gotta go get Marie.”

  Chapter 21

  Tyler pulled into the apartment complex that he had set his sister up in. It was in a nice community shielded by a neighborhood of houses in the suburbs. He liked it because in order to get to it, you had to know exactly where you were going. Tyler knocked on the apartment door on the first floor that was hers and waited for her to open it.

  “Come in!” the soft voice of a woman said from the other side.

  Tyler entered the apartment with a grim look on his face. A beautiful, skinny, young woman was perched on a leather couch wearing silk Gucci pajamas smiling at him. She too was light-skinned with soft, short, curly hair and hazel eyes. Her cheekbones were high, and her nose sharp. She was the female version of Tyler.

  “What I tell you about locking that door?” he said as his greeting to his baby sister.

  “Well, hello to you too, nigga.” She extended a wary eye. “What are you doing here anyway? I’d think you’d be resting after your little vacation.”

  She asked that like Tyler didn’t stop by frequently just to make sure she was straight. But he always called before he just showed up. Something was up, she could tell by the look in his eye. She could read her brother like a book.

  “Put some clothes on; we gotta go,” he said simply like her whole life wasn’t inside of that large one-bedroom apartment. To him, though, all of that shit was replaceable; her life wasn’t. “Grab what you need and meet me in the car.”

  Marie wanted to protest, but she knew better. Even if she did, she saw the livid expression on her big brother’s face and knew her words wouldn’t do much of anything but stall time. She’d just gotten settled into her apartment and all she wanted to do was enjoy peace in her own area. Tyler planned on moving Marie into Ray’s estate until things blew over and until they knew who was starting a war with them. There would be security and watchful eyes day and night. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing his baby sister like he lost his mother. He’d been good about separating his street life and his relationship with his sister. He took her out of the hood just so she wouldn’t be subjected to that life. He vowed to do any and everything to protect the small piece he had left of his family. Marie was a strong woman, and although she’d never toted a gun, stared into the eyes of a dying man, or touched a kilo of cocaine, she understood the game. Wherever she went, she was treated like a princess just because of who her brother was and who he was affiliated with. In every department store, she was waited on hand and foot. She had her own car, but Tyler insisted on her being chauffeured around in a bulletproof limousine if she ever needed to go anywhere. Her face was rarely seen on the streets, but when it was, Tyler made sure she always wore a smile.

  Marie stood up to get dressed but came to an abrupt stop at the sound of several cars screeching to a halt outside of her living-room window. Running to the window, Tyler glanced out and saw several men dressed casually hop out of three black Jeeps, guns drawn. Marie saw them too and a look of terror crossed her face. Tyler cursed himself because he and Ray were the only ones who knew of her whereabouts, which meant he must have been followed.

  “Ty,” Marie whispered behind him.

  “Be easy, sis.” He turned to her, knowing they didn’t have much time. “Take this, we getting out of this bitch.”

  He handed her a 9-mm pistol, glad he’d taught her how to use it, though he hoped she’d never have to. Several shots rang out, and the two dropped to the floor in sync, but no bullets came into the apartment. Ray found out what they had lit up when he looked back outside of the window. His Mercedes sat on four flats, all the windows were shot out, and the hood of the car was a blaze of fire. He saw the men taking cover just in time to grab Marie and run to the front door. Behind them, the explosion of the car was so powerful, the living-room windows shattered, and Ray shielded Marie’s body from the glass and debris.

  “Come on!” he ordered.

  He exited the apartment first, gun raised. When he saw nobody in the hallway, he took Marie by the hand and ran toward the staircase in the back of the apartment. He’d cased the apartment before he moved Marie into it so he knew there was a window on the third floor that overlooked the swimming pool of the complex. It was their only bet, especially since he knew exit doors were out of the question. He knew the building was probably surrounded. Marie tried her best to keep up, knowing that if she so much as stumbled, they were dead. Behind her, she heard a door open just as they turned to rush up the first flight of stairs and out of sight. Her heart pounded violently in her chest and feet moved faster than they ever had before. She knew that if her brother was running, something bad was going down.

  “They ain’t in here! Raid this muhfucka!” a deep voice echoed throughout the apartment building. “That was Tyler’s car in the parking lot. They’re here somewhere.”

  “Tyler, where are we going?” Marie panted to her brother as they ran up the third flight of stairs.

  He ignored her and continued running as fast as his Retro Laker 6s would take him, never once letting go of her hand. If it had just been him alone in the apartment, he would have gone out blazing with the niggas, but his brotherly love kicked in. Keeping Marie safe was his only purpose at that point in time. Finally, they reached the window on the third floor, and Ray shot it out.

  “We have to jump,” he told her, tucking his gun away and picking her up like a baby. He kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t be scared,” he whispered into her ear after seeing her eyes widen in fright.

  He stepped up and jumped just as the footsteps coming up the stairs after them got closer. Marie cringed and gripped Tyler’s neck as they dropped from the third floor toward the pool. Marie gasped for air just before the water hit her body. The impact of the water was more than just painful, but Tyler refused to let go of his sister. They sank toward the bottom of the pool briefly, but the presence of bullets hitting the water forced power into Tyler’s long legs, and he kicked his hardest until they surfaced. Around him he saw that the water no longer was clear, but stained red as innocent bystanders trying to enjoy a day at the pool became helpless victims in a manhunt. They acted as shields for Ray and Marie when they exited the pool in a coughing frenzy.

  “G-go!” Tyler coughed at Marie once they’d emerged from the pool with drenched and heavy clothes.

  The pool area was chaotic with people screaming frantically, pushing each other, trying to get through the exit gate. Tyler and Marie ducked and dodged bullets but saw many people drop dead around them. A woman Marie recognized and her infant son lay dead and bloody in a pool chair, but Marie focused on the purse that lay next to her. She made a quick dash to the purse and snatched it up. It was her turn to lead Ray.

  “This way! She never parked in the parking lot!” Marie yelled back at Tyler,
pushing through the crowd trying to get through.

  The sight of the gun in her hand made people scatter, clearing a way for her and Tyler to run through. Marie rummaged through the woman’s purse until she found a cell phone, the garage door opener, and car keys. She then tossed the purse onto the ground and led Tyler to the garage that matched the number on the garage door opener. She’d pressed the button way before they got there, and they wasted no time hopping in the beat-up Toyota Camry. Their clothes soaked the cloth interior, and Tyler reversed like a madman out of the garage. He sped the opposite way out of the complex, glad the car at least had tinted windows. In order to exit the complex completely, he had to double back around and pass the parking lot, which was nothing but a sight of fire and smoke due to Tyler’s still burning Mercedes. His eyes zoomed in on the Jeeps the men had hopped out of and focused on the personalized license plates. Personalized license plates meant that the vehicles weren’t rentals. Atlanta read clear as day. They were from Atlanta. Ray had just denied the city’s boss business with The Last Kings.

  “Damn,” Tyler said, whipping out of the complex and through the suburban neighborhood.

  He knew who was behind the bloodshed in the city. What was even more fucked-up was that he was the one who’d welcomed him into Detroit by even responding to his phone call. He reached into his pocket for his phone, but realized upon looking at the water damaged device, it was of no use.

  “Hand me that phone, Marie,” he said taking his eyes off the road as they passed an intersection in the neighborhood. He had to call Ray ASAP and let his boy know what was good.

  To the right of him, he saw that traffic had a stop sign, but he saw too late that the big black truck headed straight for them had no intentions of stopping. Before they knew what had hit them, Marie’s side of the car was violently rammed, causing Tyler to lose control of the vehicle. Marie’s screams were deafening, and Tyler tried and failed to regain control of the car. They spun out until they finally crashed into a tree. Marie’s head had hit the dashboard, so there was blood trickling down her face, and Ray was pinned to the steering wheel. He tried to reach his gun when he saw the group of men running toward the vehicle, but it was no use.